Without A Path
by Fairytailfanatic247
Summary: Thranduil has closed himself and his kingdom off from the rest of the world. Where will the most loyal member of his guard fit into his life? Will he find something more in someone that has been so close to him? ThranduilXOC
1. Intro

A/N: I am really into LOTR and the Hobbit right now. I figured I would make a fanfiction for Thranduil. This will be more of a friendship for a while, so don't think that the OC and Thranduil will be in love from the first chapter. I try to make things as real as possible. Yes, sometimes love at first sight happens, but that is not this story. I hope you guys like it.

I am Arradeth of Mirkwood. I am of Sindarin decent, and I gladly serve my King Thranduil and his son Legolas. I joined the army at a young age, for an elf, and I quickly climbed up the ranks. I became one of the many generals on King Thranduil's war council. All on the council respected my thoughts, and I had soldiers that would follow me into any battle. How could I know that one night could change my life forever?

Orcs stormed the kingdom. The few patrol soldiers were unprepared, as were the defenseless slumbering civilian elves. I awoke to the sound of metal clashing beyond the door of my bedchamber. I grabbed my short sword and joined the battle. I worked my way to the royal chambers. Someone had to protect the king, queen, and prince. As I got closer to the royals chambers it was quiet, too quiet for an orc attack. I stay cautious as I open the door. Inside were three figures. It was the queen, the prince, but the third figure was not the king. The third figure was a grotesque creature, one of the many that had invaded the kingdom.

The queen and the prince were huddled in the corner of the room with the orc leaning over them. I ran to get the foul thing away from my beloved queen, but I was too late. The orc stabbed the queen as I beheaded him. As his body dropped, so did hers. I stood there in shock as the cries of the young prince echoed through the room and the nearby halls. Once the shock wore off I knelt next to the queen to see if she could still be saved. Her heart was still beating, but just barely. I picked her limp body from the floor and head to the door. As I walked down the hallway, I felt a small hand tugging at the fabric of my tunic.

I brought the injured queen to the infirmary, and told the healers what happened. I left the young prince there as I go search for the king. It takes me less than ten minutes to find him. I told him of the horrible event, and he ran to the infirmary faster than I had ever seen. I followed him back and the scene before me was heartbreaking. The king sat at his wife's bedside, his son crying into his shoulder. I looked around at the nurses and they had solemn looks on their faces. Our beautiful and benevolent queen had perished from her injuries. I had failed.

I stormed forward, towards the king. I threw myself to my knees and bowed deeply to the king. I told him that I had failed him and the kingdom, that I needed to be punished. He refused to do anything of the sort, so I grabbed his sword and gathered up my long hair. I saw my hair as a source of pride and status. With the king's sword I slice my hair to a length above my shoulders. When I looked to my king he seemed surprised and also angry. He harshly took his sword back from me, but I did not meet his gaze. I looked at his feet until he grasped my chin and made me look at his face.

He told me that there was no need to do what I had done. That I was the only one to go straight to the royal chambers to protect my royalty. That if I had not gone to the royal chambers when I did, his son may have shared the same fate as his wife. He told me that my show of loyalty to him and his family have been made very clear to him, and that he wishes for me to be him and his son's personal guard. I reluctantly accepted the promotion.

The king never fully recovered from the loss of his wife. He shut himself and his kingdom off from the rest of the world. There were only two times Thranduil led his army out of Mirkwood. One of those times he was badly scarred on his face by the fire of a dragon, and the second time we turned back home before we saw any battle. Our kingdom was only on the defensive. No one got in, and no one left. The woods around the kingdom became dark and unkempt. Giant Spiders started to make their homes in the canopies of the trees, and they were the biggest and most direct threat to us.

I ended up training young Legolas how to fight, once he was old enough. I taught him the basics. When he started to surpass my expectations, we moved onto sparring. As he grew physically, and in ability, I reported to King Thranduil that I believed he was ready to be put on border or forest patrol. He agreed and the young prince started going out on patrols to keep the spiders from getting close to the kingdom.

While Legolas was away on patrol I stood guard in the throne room. Most days were uneventful. Most days I am thrust into deep conversations with the king. Sometimes we laugh, and sometimes one of us brings up something that reminds him of his dearly departed wife. If that happens, we spend the rest of the day in silence.

Soon, the monotony will be interrupted by a party of dwarves venturing into our territory.

A/N: So, what do you think? Do you like Arradeth? If you're wondering, her name means 'Without A Path'. I would love to read your reviews.


	2. Patrol

A/N: It seems like there are some people who like this. Thank you to Nox (Guest) for the review. You wanted to know what will happen next, and here is a little bit more. I hope you and everyone else reading this story enjoy.

I wake up early in the morning and head to the medical wing. The same battle where the king became scarred so did I. I had been standing right next to him, and we were hit by the same dragon flame. However, I took the brunt of it. The flames scarred all the way down my right side. I get them checked when they begin to annoy me. Today, the muscles on my right side are sore. This happens when a storm is coming. It makes sense. It is raining outside, as far as I know. But, I do not think that is all hat is causing my pain. There is something else coming. The medic gave me something to dull the pain and sent me on my way. I make it to the throne room and am greeted by the king.

"Arradeth," He says. My name echoes through the vast, open, cavern. "Where have you been?" A slight twinge of concern could be heard in his words and seen in his expression. You see, I am usually in the throne room before the king. Usually I am the one to greet him, not the other way around.

"Just the infirmary." I assure him. His concern does not leave, so I clarify. "Just a war injury acting up again." He relaxes slightly as he stops pacing.

"Perhaps you should join Legolas on patrol today." He suggests as he walks up the stairs to his throne. "Movement can help ease the ache."

"I haven't gone on a patrol in ages." I answer as I watch him sit in his seat high above the floor I stand on. "I'd just slow them down." I smile at him.

"Nonsense." Calls the voice of the boy I taught to fight. My smile grows as I turn towards him. "In fact, you could teach some of the new recruits a thing or two." He jokes with me.

"It's decided, then." King Thranduil says. Legolas and I turn to him. "Arradeth will be on patrol duty today." Legolas and I bow our heads to the king and the ellon leads me to the rest of the patrol group. I am delighted to see Tauriel is with the group today. After Legolas was finished training with me, I taught the elleth. It was a great accomplishment of mine to have both of my students in the patrol guard.

"Miss Arradeth," she speaks to me. "Are you to join us today?" She asks hopefully.

"Yes, young one, my muscles ache to be used." I tell her. She smiles and I return it as we head out on forest patrol. For a long time the spiders have made their presence known in this wood. It has caused everything green to be murky. The once beautiful scenery is now depressing and dark.

Hours go by without a sign of the large arachnids. Suddenly we hear the screams of the creatures as we leap from tree to tree. We come closer and see a struggle between many dwarves and the giant spiders. My muscle aches worsens as I look upon the dwarves. Everyone is looking to me for what to do.

"Gwao hi. (Go now.)" I order as I point to the struggle below. They nod to me and begin to descend to the forest floor. I do the same, and once our feet hit the ground the spiders are gone for now. I feel they are only lying in wait. We circle the dwarves and aim our nocked arrows at them.

"Do not think I won't kill you dwarf." Legolas says to the leader. I would recognize him anywhere. The king will want to speak with him. "It would be my pleasure." We begin to close in on them when a voice sounds from behind me. Whoever it is, is yelling for help. The dwarves in front of us call out to him. I then notice that Tauriel is not with us. I look to see that she has gone to help the dwarf. She easily defeats the spiders after him and joins the rest of us.

"Search them." I order to everyone. The dwarves are searched and stripped of any weapons. I go to the blonde haired one. I take the daggers from inside his coat.

"You look familiar, have we met before?"

"Abb leib kannag mi toglot? (Have you seen me before?)" I ask in Dwarvish. All of the dwarves pause as they look at me with wide eyes. I turn to the ellon beside me. "Tiri nedh în hammad. (Look in his clothing.)" I say in Elvish, as I point at the blonde one. "Ho delio laew hathol. (He conceals many blades.) I smile and head to the leader of their group. If you are confused, yes I can speak in the dwarves language. Many years ago, we had a tenuous relationship with them. I figured if I learned to communicate with them, in their own tongue, they would trust us more. Well, at least trust me more.

"De KhuzdTunng dekhel. (The Dwarvish speaking elf.)" Thorin Oakenshield whispers in awe. "I have not seen you in years." So he does remember me.

"You are lucky I was with this troop. Surely they would have killed you, my friend." I say as I holster the blonde one's daggers on my belt.

"Any elf presence is unlucky to me. Even yours, Nosnainaal (with no path)." His face is hard and looks angry.

"You would be smart not to burn the bridge between us." I warn him as I walk to Legolas. "Gyrth in yngyl bain? (Are the spiders dead?)" I ask him. Tauriel is the one to answer as she comes up to where Legolas and I are standing.

"Ennorner gwanod in yngyl na nyryn. (Yes, but more will come.)" We both look at her quizzically. "Engain nar. (They're growing bolder.)" She clarifies. I look over to the blonde dwarf. Three or four additional blades are found by the ellon I put in charge of searching him. An ellon that had searched Thorin came over to the three of us and presented a sword. Legolas takes it and we take a closer look at the craftsmanship.

"Echannen i vegil hen vin Gondolin. Magannen nan Gelydh. (This is an ancient Elvish blade. Forged by my kin.) Legolas says as he continues to inspect it. "Where did you get this?" He asks Thorin.

"It was given to me." The dwarf answers. Legolas holds the tip of the blade to Thorin's throat.

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well." I search the dark eyes of the dwarf for any sign that he is lying.

"Perhaps they came by way of Rivendell." I suggest to the prince. "I would not put it past Lord Elrond to give away something such as this to aid another on their quest." He nods to me, and I turn to the patrol group. "Enwenno hain! (Take them!) I order. The dwarves are put into a line and are led back to the kingdom. King Thranduil will not like these visitors one bit. "Im amdir Thranduil mîn maer faer sír. (I hope Thranduil is in good spirits today.) I whisper to myself as I follow the rest of the group back to the kingdom's gates.

A/N: I'm sorry it's so short, but I have a lot of things going on right now. If anyone has any questions or comments please post a review. I love reading them. I hop you liked it. I am really liking this OC. Do you?


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